Story Time
by VergofTowels
Summary: Spock and Kirk tell their son bedtime stories. But which one is best? K/S


Another one with Sorel and the boys, prompted by the meme.

Disclaimer: I do not own Star Trek!

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"Story?" Sorel blinked up at his parents and pulled the covers up to his chin, his little hands wrapped up tight in the fleece. "You promised."

"…I guess we did, didn't we, Spock?" Jim sat down on the foot of the bed and curled his legs under him. He grabbed Sorel's ankle and started to tickle it. "What kind of story do you want? I got tons." He grinned, thinking of some of the adventures Sorel would have to wait a few years to hear.

"No, Dad, I want Father to tell one. A Vulcan story." He smiled at Spock. "Please?"

"Very well. I shall tell the tale of Selkar." Spock settled himself into the armchair by Sorel's bed and folded his hands in his lap. Outside the stars twinkled in a clear sky and reminded him of his birthplace, so far away from Iowa. "Selkar was a young Vulcan, approximately eight Terran years of age, when he was first summoned to the Council Chamber."

Kirk sat back against the wall and listened as Spock talked, but he watched Sorel's face. The boy was obviously entertained. Kirk was not. Oh, he loved listening to Spock talk. His lover's voice was soothing as always, and shaped English with the care he used in every aspect of life. Jim sometimes wished that he had bothered to learn Vulcan at the Academy. He wanted to show Spock's native tongue the same respect the Vulcan showed his own.

But the story was boring.

"And it was there that Selkar confronted two stone guardians, animated by some mechanism, and possessing the ability to speak. One of them said 'Selkar, we have been awaiting you. Now you must face one more trial before you proceed.' The speaker was a chiseled figure made of red granite. His partner, a gray, smoother, figure then said 'If you speak the truth, I shall cut off your head.' The red figure said 'If you lie, I shall disembowel you.'" Spock steepled his fingers. "It was a problem of logic."

Kirk sighed to himself. This wasn't good bedtime story material. Bedtime stories were supposed to be full of action, so you could have awesome dreams afterward. If he'd heard a story like this when he was four, he would have gone right to sleep.

"What did Selkar do?" asked Sorel, blue eyes wide.

"He considered his teachings and devised a phrase that would stump both stone figures. Do you know what it was? Think."

Sorel thought. "I don't know!"

"Selkar stepped up to the guardians and pronounced 'I am lying.'"

"Ohhhh… Huh?"

Kirk let Spock explain the paradox to their son. He was getting an idea.

"So Selkar passed the stone figures and went on his way. He had triumphed through logic, even though the path had seemed dark. We must trust in logic, Sorel. It is an important part of our lives."

And Sorel nodded, because even though he was not being raised as a Vulcan, he still had a Vulcan father. Their household held a high respect for all things logical.

"That was a good story, but really boring," said Jim. Spock raised an eyebrow.

"Oh? I was not aware that the story was being told for your benefit."

"I bet I can tell a better one."

"Jim. Sorel must sleep now, he is-"

"I want another story!" The boy had sat up and now brushed his golden bangs out of his eyes. He was quite obviously sleepy, but like all children, refused to sleep. "Please!"

Jim looked over at Spock and flashed him a cheeky grin. "You heard the man. Budge up, or I'll sit on you." He got up and replaced his slightly miffed lover in the story chair. Spock took the bed now, and started to smooth down the blankets around Sorel.

"Okay, so, once upon a time, there was a starship captain. His name was Captain Sorel and he looked just like you. Except taller. Captain Sorel was a good captain and everybody liked him. One day, as the U.S.S_ Explorer_, Sorel's ship,flew through space, it received a transmission… 'Kzzzt~ Help us! We need supplies! All our ships have been captured by Klingons! ~Kzzzt…'"

Spock rolled his eyes and turned his gaze away from Kirk. Whenever his th'y'la got on these tracks, it took forever to shut him up. He might as well scrap the next few hours. And everything Jim said could be categorized as ridiculous. Their son was going to grow up believing that phaser beams could shoot disrupter beams out of the air, that Klingons had a weakness for gravy, and that willpower was all you needed to run a starship. Completely illogical.

"Faster and faster Sorel ran through the ship, pursued by ten Klingons. Energy bolts burned the walls to his left and right, hissing over his shoulders. It was downright hopeless… Until Sorel whipped out portable cannon!"

_Completely_ illogical.

Spock felt compelled to point out this fact when Jim had finished, his protagonist landing in the open arms of his lovely first officer (gender unspecified) right before the whole place blew up.

"Th'y'la, I believe you are teaching our son an incorrect version of physics. There is no way that a 'portable cannon' would be feasible in a situation like the one you proposed."

"Well, I believe that you're teaching him that the world isn't fun. What kind of adventure is he going to have when everything is logic and numbers?"

They stared at each other.

"Sorel, whose story did you like best, mine or Father's?" Jim turned to the four-year-old to settle the dispute, knowing he'd won. It was a bit of an underhanded tactic – he was reminded of that fact by Spock's Vulcan glare at his back – but he didn't believe in no-win scenarios.

Unfortunately for him, Sorel was sound asleep, his mouth wide open. Kirk smiled and tugged Spock up off the bed. They exited the room with a soft 'good night' and a flip of the light switch.

"I suppose your story wasn't all bad," said Jim as they walked down the hall toward the master bedroom. "But mine was still way more awesome, you have to admit."

"I do not." Spock sent a sideways glance at him, eyebrow raised. "Your 'tall tale' had merits, but was clearly insufficient to teach a message."

"I see we're going to have to prove this another way."

"I believe it is imperative. What did you have in mind?"

"I don't know," said Kirk, slipping into bed without his clothes on. "Why don't you join me and we can talk it over?"

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